The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-24

permitted TO maintain ordinary intercourse.
In course of time there were grave doubts in the
minds of many Catholics TO who were and
who were not to be Stunned" and on Oct Il
1869, Pope Plus TX issued bull of excommuui-
cation, the preamble of which recited how for
good and sufficient reasons. numerous proclaIna-
tons of ipso facto accommodation had been
issued by the church from time to time some OF
which have become obsolete and useless through
changes society and manners. thus giving rise
to anguish of conscience among the faithful To
relieve such doubt and confusion the Pope de-
fined the offenses for which alone excommunl-
cation ipso facto il incurred First. all apostateS
and heretics and all who refuse obedience to
the Pope are declared accommodated by
the mere fact of their dsobedience,
special application to the Pope himself. Next
included all who knowingly keep or read any
of the books condemned by the papal authori-
ties. again are included all who impede direct
y or ind rectly the external or internal Jurisdic
ton of the church, who invade or retain the rev
enues of the church or her minister's all who
are members Of secret societies engaged In open
secret Vaccinations against legitimate gov
ernment and all who favor or give ala 10 sucn
societies.
1t will be seen that accommodation by the
Pope may be reversed by the Pope. In all cases
of major accommodation, absolution can only
be granted oy the authority that laid the ban.
This power lies in the Office, not the individual.
and one Pope may absolve man excommunt-
Gated by his predecessor. The formula OF resto-
ration by bishop is thus described in McClin-
took and Strong's Encyclopedia of Biblical and
Theological Literature:
1.-The penitent must first swear to obey the
commands of the church, and to make all neces-
sary atonement for his special offense- lie
must then be reconcied by kneeliDg. bare
headed and stripped to his shirt, before the
bishop sitting at the church gates. Here he
again repeats his oath. and the bishop. recitlng
psalm Deus Miseratur, strikes him with a rod
during each verse. Then, after certain prayers.
he absolves him and leads him into the
church"
Though this is given as the custom of the
present day, it is doubtful if it is practiced in
any English-speaking country. A very con-
siderable change has been brought about In
church methods in the last few centuries Up
to the middle of the fifteenth century excom-
munication and anathema-that is. cursing
with book, bell and candle-were freely resorted
to by the clergy for Furnishing numerous Of
lenses. Burton, in his history of Scotland, gives
translation made by Magnus, emissary of
Cardinal Wolsey, of what the translator calls "a
terrible cursing" of the border reivers. whose
frequent incursions into England it
pected to stop. The bishop, after recting the
msdeeds of the raiders. declared all engaged in
Them generally cursed, varied aggregate and
reaggregate with the great cursing." He thus
continued:
II curse their head and all the hairs of their
head; curse their face, their eyes their mouth,
their nose, their tongue. their teeth, their crag,
their shoulders, their breast, their heart, their
stomach. their back. their waime, their arms,
their legs, their hands, their feet. and every ilk
part of their body from the top of their head to
the sole of their feet, behind and before, within
and without curse them going. [ curse them
riding, curse them eating, curse them drink
ing, curse them waking, / curse them sleeping.
l curse them rising, curse them lying, l curse
them at home, l curse them from home, curse
them within the house, / curse them without the
house, / curse their wives. their BARNS and their
servants participate with them in this deed"
The document next recited all the recorded in
stances of Gods wrath and vengeance against
individuals, and prayed that he might similarly
strike these borderers, and that 'the maedlction
OF God that lighted upon Lucifer and all his fell
lows. that struck them from the high heaven to
the deep hell might light upon them"
1t was probably owing to such performances
this that the Council of Trent declared that,
although the sword of accommodation is the
very sinews of ecclesiastical discipline. and very
salutary for keeping the people in their duty,
yet il Is to be used with sobriety and great cir
cumspection. seeing that experience teaches
it is more despsed than feared, and produces
destruction rather than safety" This was the
council that met Dec. Is. 1915. and was especial
ly called to deal with the problems arising
through the birth of Protestanism.
Long before this time the force of excommun-
ication launched against monarchs had been
greatly weakened. and Henry VIII had but a
few years before encountered it without serious
loss of authority within his own dominions
What it meant three and half centuries earlier
was shown in the case OF the renowned Philip
Augustus, of France, most daring and success
full monarch, who was excommunicated for
marrying again after a divorce not sanctioned by
dict. The churches were closed for eight mont tbs
and neither mass nor vespers was said, no mar
riages were permitted, and the offspring of the
married during this period were considered lle-
Ultimate The death of the woman he had mar
ried paved the way for a reconciliation. Excom-
munication in those days, says the elder Disraeli
was a national distress not inferior to plague
or famine. He thus continues:
I'm that year France was threatened with the
extinction of the ordinary generation. A
under this curse of public penance was Invested
of all his functions, civil, military and matri-
monial; he was not allowed to dress his hair. to
shave, to battle, or to even change his linen so
that upon the whole, this made filthy peni-
tent. The good King Robert incurred the CEN
sures of the church for having married his
cousin. He was Immediately abandoned. Two
faithful domestic alone remained with him. and
these always passed through the fire whatever
he had touched"
In modern times accommodation has such
effect. and the utmost it can accomplish is caus-
ing all faithful Catholics to shun and avoid the
object of the censure. provided he has incurred
the major excom m nicaton and been placed on
the list of the non tolerate.
What DIR. McGiynn Says.
BUFFALO, N Y, juno 23.-Dr. McGlynn lee